No-Fee Grants & Residencies for Artists: July 8 - 21 Deadlines
From emergency medical support to documentary film funding, puppetry residencies to public engagement opportunities—this month offers a wide range of grants, residencies, and fellowships for artists working across disciplines.
Whether you're a visual artist, performer, writer, or multidisciplinary creator, this list includes opportunities designed to support your practice, deepen your research, and help you connect with new audiences. Deadlines are fast approaching, so take a look and apply soon.
Deadline July 8
Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants Cycle 31
This program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent, unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need who create in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography.
Deadline July 14
The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund
The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund is currently accepting applications. The deadline is Monday, July 14, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Filmmakers will be notified regarding the status of their application in early 2026, typically within six to eight months of the deadline.
The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP) prioritizes support for independent nonfiction films with budgets under $1.2 million in U.S.USlars.
Development (up to $40,000), Production/Post-production (up to $100,000)
Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency
The Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency expands and broadens the work of the National Puppetry Conference by partnering with the O’Neill to provide space and support to an artist/company working on the final stages of a new work of puppet theater.
Residencies may be between 2-3 weeks, can support up to 10-12 project participants, and cover full room and board.
In addition to the residency, the Jim Henson Foundation will award a grant of $5,000 to the artists to help cover expenses.
Deadline July 15
Pen America U.S. Writers Aid Initiatives
PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative, part of the PEN America Writers Emergency Fund, offers grants for writers in the United States facing acute financial need following an emergency. Applicants must be professional writers based in the United States and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping address a short-term emergency.
2026-2027 Polar STEAM Antarctic Artists & Writers Program
The Antarctic Artists & Writers program facilitates deployments to the Antarctic for creative practitioners within the arts and humanities. Collaborations between polar researchers, artists, and writers help increase the public’s understanding of and appreciation for human and scientific endeavors in Antarctica through the resulting works.
Polar STEAM welcomes applications from working artists, writers, and creative practitioners in a variety of genres, from traditional to experimental.
Stipend of $2,000 upon successful completion of the program. Stipends are unrestricted and may be taxable. OSU and Polar STEAM cannot advise on tax implications.
Facilitated mentorship and support during and following the award period.
The Artist’s Book Grant is an eight- to ten-week residency for artists to produce a limited edition bookwork. Working intensively in our studios, artists print and bind their books, and are encouraged to create an edition size of no more than 100 and no fewer than 50.
The grant includes a stipend of $350 per week, up to $1,000 for materials, up to $250 for travel within the Continental US, on-site housing, and 24/7 studio access.
The artist will receive a 50% commission from the sale of each book, which will be paid out annually around June 30.
2025 21c St. Louis Artadia Award
21c Museum Hotels, a multi-venue contemporary art museum and award-winning hospitality company, and Artadia, a nonprofit grantmaker and nationwide community of visual artists, curators, and patrons, are thrilled for the fourth annual 21c Artadia Award.
The 21c Artadia Award will annually provide $15,000 in unrestricted funds to one artist living and working in the unique creative communities where 21c Museum Hotels are located.
Artadia is now accepting applications for the 2025 21c St. Louis Artadia Award from all visual artists who have lived and worked throughout St. Louis City (MO), St. Louis County (MO), St. Charles County (MO), St. Clair County (IL), and Madison County (IL) for a minimum of two years.
The Latinx Project: Open Call: Print Media Fair
The Latinx Project is organizing and hosting its second print media fair. They are looking for interested exhibitors in or near NYC whose work includes independent publishing, zines, prints, or works on paper.
Exhibitors must be available to participate in person on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 20 Cooper Square in New York City.
Exhibitor based in or near the New York City area
At least one of the following represented: independent publishing, zines, prints, or works in paper.
Deadline July 16
2026 Native Performing Arts Fellowship Application
The Native Performing Arts (NPA) Fellowship is a year-long program that helps Native Artists create, practice, and perform within the Performing Arts (theater, music, dance, live performance, etc.). The program provides them with network-building, professional development trainin,g and funding to work toward building a sustainable career within the Performing Arts landscape.
The NPA Fellowship offers a one-year $10,000 grant to Native performing artists.
Applicants must be an enrolled member of, or provide proof of lineal descent from, a U.S. fedUSly-recognized or U.S. staUSecognized tribe or be able to provide evidence of ancestry as an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian.
2026 Artist in Business Leadership Application
The Artist in Business Leadership (ABL) Fellowship is a year-long program that helps independent Native artists leverage art-making as a means to build or grow a business that supports themselves and their families. Participants in this self-directed fellowship are offered grant funding for business needs, network-building opportunities, and professional development guidance.
Artists accepted into the program receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards their proposed activities during their fellowship year.
A Native artist who either owns or is launching an active art-centered business or who is seeking to grow and improve business aspects of their income-producing creative practice.
2026 Cultural Capital Application
The Cultural Capital (CC) Fellowship Program strengthens the Collective Spirit of artists who perpetuate generosity, wisdom, and integrity within their communities as they further their important cultural work. The fellowship is designed for Native artists who have strong community ties and are committed to preserving and passing on ancestral traditions.
Cultural Capital Fellowships provide $10,000 grants to artists and cultural bearers committed to community outreach and cultural preservation through the arts.
U.S.-based artist or culture bearer who lives within or is active with and connected to their Native community.
Deadline July 20
KAF: Open Call for 2026 SDSS Artists
Open call for Korea Art Forum (KAF) 's 2026 Shared Dialogue, Shared Space initiative (SDSS). We invite artists from the New York metropolitan area to submit proposals for participatory art projects that foster public engagement, encourage dialogue, and inspire a shared sense of community.
Individual artists and collectives working in any medium or discipline and available in 2026.
$5,500 fee to cover artist’s time and materials
The Cultural Arts Curatorial Fellowship
The Cultural Arts Curatorial Fellowship is a paid professional development program for emerging performing arts presenters. Designed to offer a hands-on experience that demystifies the presentation process, the program will give fellows real-world experience and understanding of what it takes to be a performing arts curator, including creating new initiatives, balancing budgets, working with artists, running events, and all the magic in between
Fellows will receive a $2,000 stipend for their work, a $3,000 budget for their events, and individualized mentorship from Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center (MCCAC) team members and guest speakers.
Applicants must currently reside in the “DMV” (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area. There is no lodging available.
The Cultural Arts Incubator is a new, paid program for performing artists who are ready to take risks, push boundaries, and experiment across disciplines. Designed for artists working in dance, music, theater, and other performance-based art forms, this program prioritizes creatives who are exploring multidisciplinary and innovative approaches to their craft.
Artists will receive a $5,000 monetary stipend, free rehearsal space, and a fully-produced culminating performance at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, complete with professional lighting design, technical support, and professional documentation.
Applicants must currently reside in the “DMV” (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area. There is no lodging available.
Deadline July 21
The TMT Institute is a cohort of artists who seek to radically disrupt and re-examine their existing practices without any specific goal or expected outcome. Each Fellow’s journey is individual. Fellows create their course as they reinvent, question, and challenge their artistic practice.
TMT supports fellows with space, material resources, and a $2,000 stipend.
The Sandbox Fund provides grants, engagement events, and other opportunities for independent artists to explore the intrinsic connection between science and culture through innovative storytelling. The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund administers the program in collaboration with Sandbox Films. The fund offers support to projects at all stages of development, production, and post-production. U.S. and international feature-length nonfiction projects are eligible.
Average grant sizes are as follows:
Development (up to $40,000)
Production (up to $100,000)
Post-Production (up to $100,000)